Portable Air Conditioning Pros and Cons

To some homeowners, portable air conditioners are better than other air conditioning (AC) systems because they’re lightweight and moving them to different rooms won’t be a problem. Other than being lightweight, most portable ACs also have features similar to split-type AC and window-type AC such as oscillation, energy-saving, and much more. However, there are things that portable ACs have or don’t have that give it disadvantages, too.

What’s good about it is that you can either turn oscillation on to cool the entire room or put it steady on you, so the air directly blows at you. It’s much cheaper compared to bigger ACs and consumes less energy. Another pro is that there’s minimal installation needed, and you don’t have to get a technician to install it for you. The only things that you need to install usually are the wheels for you to push or pull it across the house, and that’s it! You don’t have to pay for installation fees or put a big hole on your wall for this AC. This type of AC is also perfect for people who rent or often move from one room to another. It consumes less energy too if focused in one direction and prevents unused rooms from unnecessarily being cooled.

Some features are either present or missing from the portable AC that people find unfavorable. One of the disadvantages is that it has a dip tray that needs to be often emptied depending on how long you use it. If not emptied, it will overflow. Standard portable ACs have these trays, but ones that have vent exhaust gets rid of the condensation right away. Although these ACs are cheap, they’re less likely to keep big rooms completely cool or maintain cooler temperature for a long time.

The common complaint about portable ACs is the noise it makes when on and the solution to this is to lower the fan speed but doing this will take your portable AC longer to cool your room. Another disadvantage is that the cold air it produces is not as powerful as split-type ACs or window ACs because the air that it converts to cooler air comes from the same room. Therefore, portable ACs are only suitable for small rooms or medium-sized rooms with no windows. If you’re sensitive to noise or is bothered by frequently standing up to dispose of the water in the tray, then this type of AC may not be for you. Because of its weight and size, you can expect that the function is limited and not as good as the bigger ACs.

People often confuse air coolers with portable ACs because of the similar looks, price, and function but the difference between them is how they cool the air. Portable ACs produce cooler air from what’s inside the room while air coolers need to have the tray filled with water and ice to give out cooler air. Their tray functions are different, as well. Portable AC has a tray that collects condensation which needs to be disposed of while the tray in air coolers are for the water and ice that will help produce cooler air.